Metallic door construction



K. J. ToBlN 1,951,539

METALLIC DOOR CONSTRUCTION Filed April l5. 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet l March 20, 1934.

.mllmlloilloll o lo o o um o o o .loll iol llolllel ATTX March 20, 1934. K 1 TQBlN METALLIC DOOR CONSTRUCTION Filed April l5. 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 -fvyfwm- KENNETH J 75B/N @f f March 20, 1934. K. J. TOBIN METALLIC DOOR CONSTRUCTION 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed April 15 Patented Mar. 20, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Company, Chicago, Ill.,

a corporation of Illinois Application April 15, 1931, Serial No. 530,242

12 Claims.

This invention relates to a metal car door.

It is among the objects of this invention to provide a metal door which involves a minimum Of pressing and heavy duty machine operation, to provide a door which is spark, cinder, and dust proof around its perimeter and to provide a construction in which the parts may be assembled in truss-like form to absorb diagonal and cross strains and stresses.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a door that will have very little torque, and that is under tension but with sufficient flexibility without having the metal taking a permanent set.

The invention comprises the novel structure and combinations of parts hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out and defined in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred form of this invention and in which similar reference numerals refer to similar features in the different views:

On the drawings:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a house car illustrating the application of a metallic door according to this invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view taken upon the line Ill-II of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken upon the line III-III of Figure 1 looking in the direction of the arrows and illustrating the door in its lowered and closed position.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 illustrating the door in its elevated position in which the sealing arrangement between the car and door is in its broken or inoperative position.

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view through the rear edge of the door and adjacent parts illustrating the weather proofing or sealing arrangement. i

Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the construction between a main door and an auxiliary door.

Figure 7 is a top plan view of the metal sheets of the door with the binding removed.

Figure 8 is an elevational View of the sheets.

Figure 9 is an edge elevational View of the sheets.

Figure 10 is an enlarged sectional View taken upon the line X-X of Figure 5, and

Figure 11 is an enlarged sectional View taken upon the line XI-EQ of Figure 10.

As shown on the drawings:

In referring now to the drawings which illusy trate one embodiment of this invention, itV will be observed that the main part of the door consists of a panel section 1 and a panel section 2. The adjacent margins of these panel sections overlap and are riveted together by a double row of rivets as indicated at 3, and the upper mar- W gins are flanged outwardly as indicated respectively at la and 2a. The flange la and the upper edge of the panel are coped as indicated at 1-b (Figs. 7 and 8) for a purpose that will later appear.

The lateral margins of the doors involve a truss construction and to this end, it will be observed that the front margin of the panel 2v is riveted to the outer ilange of an angular member in the form of a Z-bar 4, as indicated at 5. A diagonal Y0 truss member 6 is riveted to the inner flange of the Z bar 4 and to the panel 2 a short distance from the front edge. A weather strip or angle '7 is also riveted to the inner flange of the Z bar 4 which is attached to a movable post or jamb 13. 73

Upon the rear margin of the panel 1, there is riveted a Z bar 8, the web of which may extend into the cope l-b. 1t will be noted that the panel l is attached to the inner ange of the Z bar 8 so that the door is located in a Vertical plane which is oblique to the plane of the side of the car. A diagonal truss member 9 is riveted to the outer ange of the Z bar 8 and to the panel 1 a short distance from the end thereof. A weather strip or angle 10 is riveted to the rear margin of the panel 1 and the inner ilange of the Z bar 8. This weather strip 10 cooperates with and engages a weather strip 11 upon the rear door post 12. These truss members 6 and 9 form a trusslike reinforcement for the lateral margins of the door.

The panel formed by the sections 1 and 2 is put under tension when the truss members 6 and 9 are applied. This may be done by stretching the same as the truss members are riveted thereon. 0l Of course the rivet holes must be spaced to allow for this stretch.

1n the drawings, especially Figures 3 and 4 there is shown the side plate 14 of the car which is in the form of a Z. bar having a metal weather strip 15 upon the inner side of its depending flange 16. The lower margin of this weather strip 15 is outwardly deected as indicated at 17. Upon the outer face of the depending flange 16 of the side plate, there is a weather strip 18 which 105 is substantially in the form of a Z bar and which cooperates with the weather strip 15 for forming a guide passage for a sealing weather strip 19 secured upon the top of the door. It will be noted that this weather strip 19 has an upwardly direct- 110 ed flange located in the guide passage, and this flange has an inwardly directed lip 19a which contacts the flange 1'7 of the weather strip 15 when the door is in its lowered position and in frictional engagement with its supporting track 20. An angle member 21 is secured upon the top of the door. One flange of the angle clip 21 is directed upwardly in spaced relation to the weather strip 19 and upon the outer side of the weather strip 18- for guiding the door. This weather proofing structure effectively seals the upper part of the door with respect to the car when the door is in its closed position and frictionally engaging the track as shown in Figure 3.

Attached to the lower portion of the door upon the interior side thereof and depending there-l below is a weather strip 22 (Figures 3 and 4). It will be noted with reference to Fig. 2 that the plate 22 extends parallel to the car and that the door extends obliquely. Consequently the lower margin of the door panel must vaccordingly be deformed to provide an attaching margin that is parallel to the car. In order to accomplish this the forward lower margin of the door is offset inwardly as indicated at 36 (Fig. 3). The rear lower margin of the door panel is outwardly offset as indicated at 3'7. Of course where the planes of the plate 22 and the door intersect, the lower margin of the door panel is not offset. These offset margins gradually decrease from the ends of the `door to the point of intersection of said planes. The weather strip 22 is .preferably in the form of a plate having an inwardly directed Aflange 23 that extends i-nto a groove 24 in Va member 25 attached to the car. 'Ihe plate 22 is provided with lateral flanges 22a which are respectively riveted to the webs of the Z bars 4 and 8. Adjacent the rear end the door panel is coped 'as indicated at 38 (Fig. 10) to accommodate the flange 22a.. When the door is in its lowered position, the `flange 23 of this weather strip approaches the .lower wall of the groove to exclude the weather as shown in Figure 3.

Due to the fact that the door moves inwardly when it is lowered, it also comes into close contact with lthe edge of the floor as indicated at 26 to effectively exclude the weather.

The means for elevating the door and supporting `the same Kupon lrollers which will be made the subject matter of an independent application consists, briefly, of a rod or pipe 27 (Figure 1) having a gear segment 28 thereon. A lever 29 is pivoted to the door and its lower end is in the form of a gear rack meshing with the segment 28. The pipe 27 has a pair of yokes 30 adjacent the ends thereof. In these yokes are journalled rollers 3l. The outer ends of the yokes 30 terminate in Vtrunnions or journals 32 which engage in open bearing portions 33 in castings 34 or the like secured near the respective ends of the door. Each casting 34 is provided with a foot 35 which normally engages the track 20. Normally the door rests upon the 'track and the rollers 31 are obliquely positioned as shown in Figure 3. However, if the lever -29 is operated to the right as viewed in Figure 1, the pipe 27 will be rotated, and swing the rollers 31 to vertical positions to elevate the 'door so it will be supported upon the rollers as shown in Figure 2. It will of course be understood that any 'other form of door `supporting and elevating means Vmay be used with the present construction.

The illustrated door may be used in conjunction witha main door 39 only a fragmentary portion of which has been illustrated in order to illustrate the weatherproofing features between the doors. The main door comprises a front edge Z bar 40 to the web of which one flange of an angle member 41 is secured. The other flange of the angle 41 extends back of the weather strip '7 and the edge thereof is slightly curved in an outward direction as indicated at 42 to more effectively abut the angle 'I for excluding the Weather.

I am aware that many changes may be made and numerous details of construction may be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention, and I, therefore, do not purpose limiting the patent granted hereon otherwise than necessitated by the prior art.

I claim as my invention: v

l. A car door comprising a metal panel, trusslike reinforcements upon the lateral margins of the panel, said reinforcements being upon opposite faces of said panel, said panel having a lower margin offset from the plane of the panel and a Weather proofing plate attached to said margin.

.2. The combination with a house car having a door opening, a door for closing said opening, said door comprising lateral truss-like constructions and a panel diagonally connecting said constructiens, said panel having lower offset portions diverging from a point in the plane of the panel and a weather plate attached to said offset portions.

3. In a car door., a panel comprising a Vpair of vertically extending panel sections having `adjacent overlapping margins connected together, and a truss-like reinforcement upon the `lateral margins of the panel, one reinforcement being upon the inner face of the door and the other reinforce-ment being upon the outer surface of the door, whereby said door is adapted to extend obliquely to its doorway.

4. In a car 'door construction, a .metal panel, a member secured to one lateral margin of the panel and having fan inwardly offset flange, `a second member secured to the other lateral margin of the vpanel and having an outwardly offset flange, a diagonal bracing plate connecting each flange with the panel, said panel having a lower margin .inwardly and outwardly offset and a plate lmember attached to said margin.

5. A 'car door comprising an uncorrugated panel, truss-like constructions upon the lateral margins of the panel, one construction being upon the inner surface fof the panel and the other being upon the outer surface 'of the panel and said panel being held in tension by'said truss-like constructions, and being-adapted to extend longitudinally obliquely to :its doorway.

6. A car -door consisting of a metal panel, a Z bar attached by. its outer flange to a lateral margin of the panel, a second Z "bar `attached by its inner ange to the other lateral margin vof the panel, a diagonal truss plate connecting the panel with each unattached 'flange of said Z bars, a weather strip attached to the inner flange of one Z-bar and a weather strip attached to the inner lflange of 4the other Z-bar.

'7. A car -door comprising a metal panel under tension and means for trussing one lateral margin of the doorfupon the inner sideand means for trussing the other lateral margin 'upon the outer side to `maintain'said panel under tension.

8. The combination with a house car having a doorway, of a door lpanel extending obliquely to the plane 4of said doorway, means :for trussingone lateral margin `of the door panel upon its inner side and means for trussi'ng the other lateral margin of the panel upon its outer side.

9. A door for closing a doorway comprising a metal panel, an angular member having parallel ilanges with the iiange nearest the plane of the doorway attached to one end margin of the panel and upon the exterior side of said panel, a second angular member having parallel anges with the ilange farthestl from the plane of the doorway attached tothe other end margin of said panel and diagonal bracing members attached to the panel and to the unattached iiange of each angular member whereby said panel is adapted to extend obliquely to the plane of the doorway.

10. A metal door comprising a panel, a member secured to the rear margin of the panel and having a flange spaced from one side of the panel, a diagonal bracing member connecting said flange with said panel, a second member upon the front margin of the panel having a flange in spaced relation to the other side of the panel and a diagonal brace connecting' said second flange with said panel whereby said panel is adapted to extend obliquely of its doorway.

11. A car door comprising a metal panel having a truss-like reinforcement upon its rear margin upon one side of the panel, and a truss-like reinforcement upon its front margin upon the opposite side of the panel whereby said panel will extend obliquely to its doorway.

12. In a house car having a pair of sliding doors, a plate having an outwardly sloping flange upon the lateral edge of one door, a Z-bar upon the adjacent edge of the other door, an angle member secured to the web of the Z-bar and cooperating with a ange of said Z-bar to form a channel, said angle member having its outstanding flange bent outwardly and engaging the interior face of said outwardly sloping ange of said plate.

KENNETH J. TOBIN. 

